Icheon Tongsinsa Achieves Cultural Diplomacy in San Francisco, Captivates Major League Baseball Fans

Icheon Cultural Foundation Successfully Concludes North American Expansion of Icheon Tongsinsa
Icheon Tongsinsa Promotes Icheon’s Culture in San Francisco
San Francisco Captivated by the Inspiring Presence of Icheon,
A Small Dot on the World Map

The North American expansion of "Icheon Tongsinsa," promoted by the Icheon Cultural Foundation, has been successfully completed, once again demonstrating the global potential of Icheon’s local culture.

Icheon Cultural Foundation Successfully Enters U.S. Market. Provided by Icheon City

The Icheon Cultural Foundation announced on the 20th that CEO Lee Eung-kwang promoted Icheon's traditional culture on the world stage by engaging in a series of local performances and cultural exchange activities, starting with a speech at the San Francisco City Council in the United States on May 12.

In his speech at the San Francisco City Council, CEO Lee stated, "I have come to San Francisco as part of Icheon Tongsinsa, which modernizes the spirit of the historical Tongsinsa, known as ambassadors of peace," emphasizing, "Icheon may appear as just a small dot on the map, but in terms of culture and spirit, it stands as a giant."

The highlight of this North American visit was the "Korean Heritage Night" event held at Oracle Park, the home stadium of the San Francisco Giants, a Major League Baseball team. At the event, Icheon Tongsinsa presented "Icheon Turtle Play," an intangible cultural heritage of Gyeonggi Province, leaving a strong impression on tens of thousands of baseball fans.

Local audiences responded with enthusiastic applause and cheers for the dynamic performances and lively traditional melodies. One attendee remarked, "The energy and excitement of Icheon Turtle Play were truly impressive," adding, "It was a special opportunity to experience Icheon’s local culture up close."

In addition, Icheon Tongsinsa continued to perform at various local venues such as Civic Center Plaza in front of San Francisco City Hall, SK hynix America, Lowell High School, and Santana Row, a prominent multicultural complex in Santa Clara.

In particular, during the performance at SK hynix America, the group was praised for resonating deeply with local members and conveying the vibrancy of traditional culture. The foundation explained that, following their European tour, this provided another opportunity to confirm the appeal and competitiveness of Icheon's traditional culture in the United States as well.

Beyond cultural performances, diplomatic achievements were also realized. Icheon Tongsinsa delivered a speech by official invitation of the San Francisco City Council, introducing Icheon City’s cultural assets and global vision, which drew the attention of local officials.

Icheon Cultural Foundation Successfully Enters the US Market. Provided by Icheon City

Additionally, the group visited Santa Clara, a sister city of Icheon, where they held an official meeting with Mayor Lisa Gillmor to discuss ongoing cultural exchange and cooperation between the two cities.

Lee Eung-kwang, CEO of the Icheon Cultural Foundation, stated, "Ultimately, it is the power of culture and the arts that heals the voids politics cannot solve and economics cannot fill," adding, "Through 'music,' a language that transcends borders, and 'tradition,' a signpost from the past to the future, I hope that Icheon Tongsinsa will serve as a bridge to communicate with the world and deliver a message of peace."

He further noted, "Seeing the enthusiastic response from local audiences in the United States, following Europe, has once again confirmed the global potential of Icheon’s local culture," and added, "We will continue to do our utmost to ensure Icheon City establishes itself as a center for international cultural exchange."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.